A new study from Inman Intel examines the Compass-Anywhere merger and includes insights from 155 real estate agents and 39 brokerage leaders within the newly combined organization.
Shortly after announcing the deal to acquire the Anywhere brand, Compass CEO Robert Refkin made a series of promises to the agency and brokerage leaders who will be joining the company.
Compass technology will be provided to acquired brokerages, but their use will not be mandated. We do not have a policy requiring agents to use private exclusives. Additionally, Compass does not claim ownership of customer data and does not contact customers of acquired brokerage firms.
Intel’s analysis of survey responses from 155 agents and 39 brokerage leaders within the newly combined organization shows that these pledges and others appear to have reassured agents in some areas, despite some lingering concerns and skepticism in the early days of the transition.
These answers come from an Intel Index survey conducted in January among more than 600 real estate professionals.
This week, Intel takes a closer look at how agency and brokerage leaders from the former Anywhere brand network are grappling with the transition.
Read the findings in the full report.
What is the agent thinking?
Many agents who recently migrated to Compass’ infrastructure said they felt reassured by some of its promises.
However, many agents expressed uncertainty about what the switch to Compass would mean for their split in the long term.
Forty-six percent of agents affiliated with the Compass-acquired Anywhere brokerage who responded to Intel’s January survey said they were told their current financial arrangements would remain unchanged.
However, even more agents (54% of respondents from these brokerages) said they had not heard anything from management about this question.
And Intel’s findings suggest that even if newly acquired brokerages expect split changes as a result of a merger, few have communicated those plans to their agents.
Notably, of the 98 Compass-acquired real estate agents surveyed by Intel in January, not a single one said their brokerage told them to expect an increase or decrease in their net compensation.
In one of his pledges to Anywhere’s brand, Compass CEO Robert Refkin said acquired brokerages would not have to switch to Compass’ technology platform.
But Intel has discovered that many companies are planning to do it on their own.
Nearly four out of 10 agents from brokerage firms acquired by Compass who responded to Intel in January said they had told their agents that their brokerages were in the process of converting to Compass technology or planned to do so in the future. Half of this group, 23%, said their brokerage firms intend to continue using their existing technology stack, or at least not force agents to switch.
However, many agents were still waiting to see what their company plans for technology.
Thirty-nine percent of agents responding from acquired brokerages in late January said they were still waiting for guidance on whether their acquired brokerage plans to switch.
But it seemed more likely that the brokerage would carefully avoid the Compass Private Exclusive Network issue. The Compass Private Exclusives Network was a polarizing platform among former Anywhere executives, as were many of the Anywhere agents surveyed.
Early on, support for the use of the platform among acquired brokerages was fairly muted.
Two-thirds of agent respondents at acquired brokerage firms said their firm’s leaders have not yet provided guidance on private exclusive products. This indicates that leaders are less actively engaged in this issue than in the transition to technology platforms. Twenty-six percent of recent Anywhere agents surveyed by Intel in January said they open their brokerage to agents who use private exclusives, but don’t feel pressured to do so. Of these 98 brokerage agent respondents, only one said their brokerage leadership “strongly encouraged” them to consider using private exclusives.
On the other hand, strong opposition outnumbered strong support.
7% of legacy Anywhere brand agent respondents said their brokerage firm discourages agents from using private exclusives.
Another of Refkin’s pledges (that agents’ data is theirs and will not be used by Compass to contact clients) seems to have reassured most agents so far. But for the small number of agents surveyed, major concerns remain.
Thirty-five percent of agents at acquired brokerage firms told Intel they were not worried about customer data after the merger, and an additional 39% said they were reassured by Compass’ promises. Still, the remaining 27% of Anywhere agents who responded in late January expressed skepticism that Compass would “misuse customer data” or that it would limit their ability to take customer data with them if they change brokerages.
This overall picture was echoed by the leadership of a recently joined brokerage firm.
But brokerage leaders were less uncertain in their assessment of where things were headed. And their perspectives will shed light on what the transition will look like in the coming months.
view from the top
For agents wondering whether a move to Compass will curb breakups, Intel’s survey of brokerage giants offers further reason for hope.
Of the 33 large brokerage firms affiliated with the former Anywhere brand, none reported that Compass executives indicated they believed agents should expect their net compensation, which consists of split fees and commissions, to decrease as a result of the merger. 48% of these leaders said they had been told existing fiscal agreements would be respected without change, and a further 45% said the topic had not yet come up in discussions with Compass. Notably, two of the 33 leaders said they were told to expect their agents’ net compensation to increase.
The brokerage also largely agreed with what the agents said about the potential switch to the Compass technology platform.
But the findings of brokerage leaders confirm that if agents aren’t hearing what their brokerage is planning in this area, it’s likely because the brokerage itself hasn’t made a decision yet.
Forty-five percent of former Anywhere brand brokerage leaders responding to Intel’s January survey said they have not yet decided which technology platform their brokerage will use.
But these leaders were more likely than their agents to expect the play to transfer to Compass technology.
Just 9% of Anywhere brokerage leader respondents said they would continue using their previous technology platform, or at least not pressure their agents to switch. Additionally, 42% of acquired brokerage executive respondents said they are currently in the process of switching to Compass technology or plan to do so in the future.
Leaders of the affected brand brokerages also provided some clarity on how they intend to deal with Compass’ private exclusive network with their agents going forward.
Most former Anywhere agents said their brokerages have not yet provided clear guidance, but management appears intent on taking a generally acceptable, if less enthusiastic, approach to agents’ use of private listing platforms.
Half of former Anywhere-branded brokerage leaders said they would be open to agents using private exclusives, but would not pressure them to do so. Only 9% of these leaders said they “strongly encouraged” their agents to use Private Exclusive.
That said, there have been some signs of dissent within the securities industry regarding the platform.
Sixteen percent of brokerage leaders who recently joined Compass said they discourage agents from using private exclusives.
In our survey, Intel asked these agencies and leaders, as well as people across the industry, what steps they expect Compass to take with its newfound market share and influence.
Intel plans to explore these responses in a future report.
Methodology note: This month’s Inman Intel Index study was conducted from January 22nd to February 22nd. As of April 4, 2026, we received 643 responses. The entire Inman reader community was invited to participate, and a rotating selection of randomly selected community members were encouraged to participate via email. Users answered a series of questions about their self-proclaimed niche in the real estate industry, including real estate agents, brokers, financiers, and proptech entrepreneurs. Results reflect the views of our passionate Inman community, but do not necessarily align with the views of the broader real estate industry. This survey is conducted monthly.
Email Daniel Huston
